Top Boy star’s real life of crime and chaos – guns, prison and eight kids by 40

Picture it, cops pulling over a car in London where behind the wheel sits a young man with a loaded gun.

While you may be thinking this is a scene from the new season of Top Boy – it’s instead what actually happened to the lead actor who plays drug kingpin Dushane in the iconic show.

Ashley Walters, lauded for his gripping performances in Top Boy since it first aired on Channel 4 in 2011, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the above incident.

READ MORE: 'I served with Britain's most vile mum in monster jail – but found way to keep sane'

And this is just one example of the chaos in his personal life away from the camera.

With this in mind, we take a closer look into the life of Ashley after the release of the final season of Top Boy, a powerful portrayal of gang warfare and drugs.

The star was born in Peckham, southeast London, where his father wasn’t around often.

His mum, a government worker, made sure he had the “latest Nikes” growing up while also teaching him to work hard for what he wanted.

This was evident throughout his childhood where he showed immeasurable promise.

He fell in love with the arts at the Sylvia Young Theatre School and as a teenager he appeared in a television series called Grange Hill.

Ashley was also a member of UK garage group So Solid Crew whose song 21 Seconds became a number one hit.

As for violence he witnessed in Peckham, he once told the Sun: “There were a lot of muggings and the older guys in the area would get the younger boys to commit robberies or to mug old ladies and steal handbags.

“I was asked a few times. I didn't actually rob anyone but once I was kidnapped by two older boys for half a day and they were trying to get me to steal or mug someone. They weren't violent to me but they were intimidating and it felt like a thing that you had to do otherwise you might be beaten up or there would be a backlash.

“Afterwards I told my mum and she was devastated and obviously worried but I remember not being that concerned.

“For young boys like me, growing up in that environment, those things were normal and you never really felt too shocked by it – that’s the shame of it.”

And although his own life was playing out admirably with music and acting, things took a sinister turn when Ashley, whose stage name was Asher D, was jailed for possessing a converted air pistol that was loaded with live ammunition.

He once described having got the firearm after someone who was “jealous” of his success held a gun to his baby’s head as a threat.

The consequences still hurt him to this day, with the actor unable to work in America because of his conviction.

And pressed by The Sunday Times whether he thought he had blown things at the time, he responded: “One hundred per cent. The only positive is that I can now help somebody who is about to make the same mistake.

“But it’s part of the journey. If my arrest had never happened I wouldn’t have been in Top Boy.

“I’ll never stop trying to right the wrongs I have done, but some things you’ve got to let go. I was growing up with something good happening, then something bad came round the corner.”

Since then Ashley has been blessed and rewarded with many good things.

He took a step away from the rap scene after leaving prison, a move that paid off when he starred in the 2004 film Bullet Boy.

The talented performer has also had roles in Bulletproof, Silent Witness and Doctor Who over the intervening years.

But incredibly, despite only being 41, he already has eight children and one grandchild.

He had his first child at 20 and his kids, who he has had with three women, now range from five to 21 in ages.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2016 about the challenges of fatherhood, he said: “It can be crazy, juggling it all, both of us working, too. I’ve called two of my children this week, but I need to call the others. I find it a challenge sometimes to have all that responsibility.”

Now Top Boy has concluded he is working on his first album since 2009 to reignite his music career.

But his home surroundings are now a big contrast to his days in Peckham.

He currently lives with his wife of ten years, actress Danielle Isaie, and their two children, Amaiya and River, in a plush five-bedroom house in Whitstable, Kent.

Speaking to The Times, he said: “My neighbour is a farmer.

“When I was moving my kids, I convinced myself it was about having a better upbringing, not be surrounded by violence. But the freedom is good for me too — I couldn’t go a night in London without somebody turning up. Now people call ahead. That’s good.”

The fifth and final season of Top Boy is now airing on Netflix.

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